CD Burning Software Review

Why Buy CD Burning Software?

In days gone by, thousands of compact discs filled the shelves of music stores around the world. The primary way software companies delivered their products to their customers was via CD. Even popular video gaming systems used CD-ROM technology. Today, CDs are far less common. DVD, Blu-ray, digital downloads, streaming services, the cloud and more each took their turns chipping away at all the things we used to use CDs for.

That doesn't mean the compact disc is dead – far from it. These days, CD burning software allows us to make our own personalized CDs. Burning an audio CD today is far easier and more affordable than ever before. This is great for making your own musical album out of a playlist or even your original compositions.

There is also something to be said for backing up your important data to compact discs. External hard drives often fail, and cloud backup services may not always be available. But you can easily store a CD with all your vital documents on it for the day you need it the most.

CD Burning Software: What to Look For

Because CDs have been around for so long, there are many options when you're shopping for CD burner software. We have narrowed the playing field and ranked the best software according to four criteria: feature set, ease of use, ease of installation, and help and support. To find the best CD burning software for your needs, keep the following elements in mind:

Feature Set
Most CD and DVD burning applications make one-to-one copies of original discs, which is great for backing up music and movies, but the best CD burning software also supports custom disc creation. Built-in CSS decryption is another major bonus – it is necessary for copying write-protected Hollywood DVDs. If you are interested in multimedia, look for an application with file-conversion capabilities.

File Formats
We analyzed each application on our lineup to find the product with the highest compatibility with different file formats. The best burning software has complex features, settings and output formats. This can be intimidating if you're a new user, so an intuitive interface is essential to balance out a large feature set. The software's menus should be clearly labeled, easy to locate and properly organized. Beginners should be able to create copies without worrying about learning to use features they do not need, and experts should be able to control and fine-tune the settings for each burn.

Disc Types
The best CD burner software applications have the ability to burn files and audio tracks to a wide variety of discs. The best products not only burn CDs, but also DVDs and Blu-ray discs.

Help & Support
Even the best CD burning software can be frustrating from time to time, and chances are good that you will spoil a few discs before you work out all the kinks. Good documentation can be a real lifesaver. Look for an application with contact information and a built-in help reference. If you encounter a problem that you cannot resolve with an appeal to the help file, it is good to have a reliable phone number or email address to contact the manufacturer for support.

Whether you want to make a backup of a DVD or rip another CD by your favorite artist, you need CD burning software. We've researched and reviewed the best options, so instead of spending hours trying to find the perfect application, you can use that time to preserve your music and movies.